David Bahn – Reflections

John 19:16-22

   So they took Jesus, ¹⁷and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. ¹⁹Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” ²⁰Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” ²²Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

What a throne holds Jesus before the world! It is ugly, cruel, shameful, and crude. There is nothing beautiful about the cross on which Jesus died. Scholars have suggested it may have looked more like a “T” than the more traditionally-though-of crosses we see today. Some have suggested it may have been more like a pole with little or no horizontal beam. But even if you were to take the most beautifully-crafted cross, perfect in every dimension, and beautiful in form. Then nail a man to it. It is no ordinary throne.

But Pilate had it right – on more than one level: Jesus of Nazareth is King of the Jews. The fact that Pilate had the inscription written in Aramaic, Latin, and in Greek testifies unwittingly to the fact that Jesus is King of all. Pilate was mocking both Jesus and the Jews here. This was surely an attempt to cower the people of his day. He wanted people to deride this “king”, and to conclude that any claim to kingship other than Caesar’s true claim was outlandishly foolish. It would get you crucified. You surely wouldn’t want to follow that king!

But we see the cross differently; that’s why it is so appealing to us as a symbol of our faith. Because Jesus’ “reign” on the cross is a reign of faith, hope and love! Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, in hope of the joy that would be his when he sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 12:2). He will cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But his cry of distress is nevertheless still a cry of faith, “My God”.  His sacrifice is one of love for God and for us.

Make no mistake: this Jesus is King of kings. His reign on the cross is for all who need a Savior who conquers through the cross, not in spite of it. And he now sits enthroned on high at the right hand of God. One day he will return. Every eye will see him. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. King Jesus will be shown to be the true king, and he will reign forever and ever!